Fall 2013

Credits

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What are adolescents, psychopaths and white-collar fraud artists thinking? Why does emotional trauma for victims of abuse last so long? Whey is eye-witness memory so poor? Do violent video games lead to violent children? How can you get into the heads of the judge and jury? Lawyer and courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, are already integrating neuroscience research into their arguments and opinions on questions such as these. This class will introduce the exciting new field of “neurolaw” by covering issues such as neuroscience of criminal culpability, brain-based lie detection, cognitive enhancement, emotions, decision making, and much more. Along the way we’ll discuss how the legal system can and should respond to new insights on topics as adolescent brain development, addiction, psychopathy, Alzheimer’s, effects of combat on soldiers’ brains, and concussions from sports injuries. (Note that all scientific material in class will be presented in an accessible manner, so no previous science background is required.) Also note: Students in the Fall 2013 course will have an option of either taking a final exam or writing a final paper (minimum 20 pages). For additional course information, see: http://www.fxshen.com/?page_id=916